Bay Terminal to spur maritime activities

CHATTOGRAM, May 10: The Bay Terminal to be built on Patenga coastline with all modern facilities will boost the capacity of the country's prime seaport of Chattogram.
Maritime activities in Bangladesh will be increased, thanks to the terminal, hopes the business community.
Talking to the FE, Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mahbubul Alam said, "Once built and made operational, Bay Terminal will mobilise Chattogram seaport activities and reduce transport costs of exporters and importers."
The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) earlier sent a development project proposal to shipping ministry for approval.
After getting the go-ahead, a tender will be invited and other procedures be started this year.
Korean consulting firms Kunhwa Consulting & Engineering Company Limited and Deyen Yang (DY) Engineering Company Limited submitted a master plan to the CPA.
Bidding for the construction of the terminal will be started next July, according to CPA officials.
CPA secretary Omar Faruk said, "We've submitted the DPP. The process of building Bay Terminal is on. We got the master plan from Korean companies. As per the plan, we submitted the DPP."
"After getting the approval," he said, "the process of tender and other procedures will be started in the current year."
"The remaining two terminals will be allotted to foreign companies under public-private partnership. The district administration handed over 68 acres of land to the CPA for this project last October."
The CPA, however, sought to lease the land by a nominal rate, cited Mr Faruq.
Sources said the terminal to be built on 900 acres of land would allow big ships that cannot berth at the jetties of the seaport to do shipment activities.
Bay Terminal is likely to be operated from 2026.
It is expected to increase the container handling capacity of the port by up to 5.0-million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) yearly from existing 3.1-million TEUs.
The terminal is also expected to contribute 2.0 to 3.0 per cent to the growth of the national economy.

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